If you want to flesh out your family tree, the best way to get more detail is to talk to relatives. With the holidays quickly approaching, this is the perfect time to ask some visiting relatives if you can get together in the new year to talk about family stories. There are a plethora of family stories floating around out there, and there’s ALWAYS someone who is just dying to share them with someone. Sometimes, as in the case of my maternal grandmother, those stories get exaggerated over the years, but there is almost always a kernel of information that you can use to solve a problem or add to your knowledge.

Start by jotting down people you actually knew or know in your family -- parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Spend some time really thinking about each person. What do they do for a living? What is that person’s hobby? These questions might not help you in adding to your family tree, but they will help you to focus your energy on that personality.

Then you can delve deeper into your own memories of this person. Where did they grow up? Do they like to tell stories about their childhood? Were they named after someone in the family? Do you have pictures of them? What stories do you remember?

Write everything down, even if it seems insignificant. If you don’t want to write it all down, use a tape recorder. You can transcribe it later. Scan photos of that person and keep it with the stories you’ve written.

Then meet with that person and discuss the stories you remember. It’s best to meet individually, and not as part of larger party. Set aside an hour at a time. If they are elderly they may tire quickly. It might be a better use of your time to videotape or record the meeting, so you don’t waste precious time furiously writing everything down.

Flesh out the details. Ask them if they remember their relatives or ancestors. Ask them the same questions as above. Do they have photos? Is there a box of old family “papers” hiding in a closet somewhere? Ask permission if you can look through it.

You will certainly have lots of material to start crafting the family tree after meeting with just one person.

Not many people know that over 8,000 Ukrainians were interned during the First World War between 1914 and 1920 here in Canada. As part of the War Measures Act an additional 80,000+ individuals were registered as “enemy aliens.” My father had never heard about it, and his father and grandfather were alive during that time. There are several websites devoted to the whys and wherefores of what happened. Links to more info is at the end of this entry.

Since the 1920s, the Canadian government has been very quiet about what happened. Internment records were destroyed in the 1950s. Only recently, through painstaking research by many individuals, a roll call of names has been compiled. I was not expecting anyone from my tree to be on that list, but I have never been more relieved to note the absence of any familiar names.

Not until 2005 was Bill C-331 The Internment of Persons of Ukrainian Origin Recognition Act passed in the Canadian Parliament. The purpose of the act is “to recognize the injustice that was done to persons of Ukrainian descent and other Europeans who were interned at the time of the First World War and to provide for public commemoration and for restitution which is to be devoted to education and the promotion of tolerance.”

So the Canadian Government finally admitted its boo-boo, but this is a hollow victory. Many of the internees were used for forced labour. Did you know that one of these labour camps contributed to the creation of Banff National Park? In fact it was considered by many to be exceptionally harsh and abusive. Although you can argue that it was a reaction to the war in Europe, that doesn’t explain why the internment continued for TWO YEARS after the war had ended. The reason? Federal and provincial governments and private companies profited from the forced labour, not only in Banff, but also in the logging industry in Northern Ontario and Quebec, the steel mills in Ontario and Nova Scotia and in the mines in British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia.

It saddens me to think that after leaving horrible political conditions in Europe, sacrificing everything in some cases to emigrate to Canada, and enduring harsh winters on the prairies that their new country would indiscriminately paint them all with an intolerant, racist brush. From what I’ve learned of my Canadian-Ukrainian ancestors, and other Ukrainians who immigrated to Canada at the turn of the last century, they were a very peaceful, hard-working, gentle people who would protect their family and their land with force only when necessary. Many even enlisted to fight for Canada in the First World War.

Because of Bill C-331 there are monuments and plaques across Canada commemorating the internment. Finally, in May 2008 the Canadian government established a $10 million fund with the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko to commemorate the experience of thousands of Ukrainians and other Europeans that were interned between 1914 - 1920 and the suspension of civil liberties of tens of thousands of fellow Canadians.

The construction of the new arena in London, Ontario a few years ago was wrought with controversy from beginning to end. The only thing standing in the way of the new, state-of-the-art multipurpose facility was a very historic block of downtown London. The Talbot Inn had stood on the same site for 150 years and was designated a historic landmark. The project got bogged down while legal battles were fought to try to save the old Inn.

Eventually, the developers won the war and the Talbot Inn was demolished. After construction crews carried out the demolition, the city was intrigued and horrified when the excavation revealed the skeletal remains of an infant buried in the rubble. Upon examination, it was determined that the infant had been buried in the 1830’s or 40’s.

I was fortunate enough to live in an apartment building right next to Oakland Cemetery where they buried the infant. During my cemetery walks (yes, I know it’s morbid – but it’s also very peaceful!) I would often visit the grave. It was heartening to know that I wasn’t the only person who visited Baby Talbot’s grave. The gravesite was constantly covered with flowers, toys, candles, etc.

The markings on the gravestone always move me. Since I can’t figure out how to enlarge pictures (!) here is the transcription:

“Here lies a young child who reached across time to touch the hearts of Londoners. Born sometime in the 1830s, this young Londoner likely lived just east of the forks of the Thames River, in a cabin at King and Talbot Streets. Succumbing to one of life’s perils, this infant was laid to rest close to home, in a small wooden coffin. Time moved on and multiple layers of city life rose above the tiny grave. In the spring of 2001, the child was discovered while workers were adding another layer of history to the Talbot Block. Now resting for eternity in this cemetery, this infant embodies the pioneer spirit that helped to create our fine city.”

I especially find the last line heartwarming – to me, it’s a call to current and future generations to reflect on the generations who have come, gone and left their mark on our world.

Why a blog?

Family history just fascinates me. And not just my own. There are many facts and people that have been lost to time. I really enjoy puzzles and sometimes I come across some really interesting mysteries in my genealogy travels. I'll post some of my musings here.